conscriptfandomcom-20200214-history
World War I Conscription Issue in Australia
Conscription is a mandatory military service, which forces citizens to go to war. It is also known as National Service and has been controversial throughout Australia's history. World War I commenced in 1914, and Australia had an overwhelming amount of voluteers, so many that they had to turn some down; but by 1916, the amount of volunteers deteriorated, as the casualty rates increased and volunteers decreased.Labour prime minister Billy Hughes attempted to introduce conscription via two referenda. How and why the conscription debate divided Australian society Why did the conscription debate divide Australian society? ]It was because everyone in Australia had different views of the War. With such great casualties, but such great purpose (it was labelled the 'War to end all wars') people had different views of whether the great number of casualties could be justified by the intent of the war. Not everyone had this view though, some people thought conscription was immoral and others had been hit hard by the economic situation caused by the war. Not only this, but others were voting to protect unionism, while others were protesting at the British treatment of the rebels in Ireland. Although there were many views of the war, the conscription issue brought together the people who thought aspects of the war were wrong. How did the conscription debate divide Australian Society? The conscription debate caused many people, for and against, to hold large meetings. Many meetings were held in Melbourne and Sydney, with many anti-conscriptionists originating from Victoria. The anti-conscriptionists were able to manoeuvre immense crowds to the Exhibition Building on September 20, while many pro-conscriptionists were able to hold a meeting in Melbourne Town Hall. Women's voting power was considered extremely valuable, and a gigantic parade of women gathered at Swanston Street on October 15th. The conscription debate even divided the Labor party, with ministers such as George Pearce and Hughes rigorously agreeing to the need of conscription. The issue also divided religious denominations, as most Catholics opposed conscriptions, while most Protestants supported it. The Role of Women As so many men were off abroad, fighting the War, the labour force in Australia was significantly reduced, but industry needed a workforce. Women were allowed to work in jobs that'd usually never be offered to them, when they'd usually be expected to be at home taking care of the children and domestic jobs. This increase in the dependence of women would've increased the respect for women, and also increased women's self-esteem and confidence. Some women even wanted to help the war by being employed as cooks, stretcher bearers, motor car drivers, interpreters and munitions officers - but the government didn't allow this participation. Due to the increased activity of women, a number of women’s organisations became very active during the war -- including the Australian Women’s National League, the Australian Red Cross, the Country Women’s Association, the Voluntary Aid Detachment, the Australian Women’s Service Corps, and the Women’s Peace Army. Not only this, but due to the low population of men, women became a primary audience for the politicians, because the percentage of women increased due less men. All of this meant that these women's groups wanted a say in the conscription debate. Women were used to encourage men to enlist, and often used in pro- and anti-conscription propaganda leaflets. A pro-conscription tag-line would be 'Any right--minded woman would rather be a mother or sister of a dead hero than of a living shirker.' One anti-conscription campaign, run by The Women's Peace Army was so successful, it was deemed illegal in some states, but continued to run illegally. It featured a poem, shown on the left, called The Blood Vote. The Referendum Process and Result There were two referendum's concerning the conscription issue. The first referendum bill was passed on 21st September 1916, and mandatory registration and enrolment commenced during the campaign of the referendum. By October 5th, The Age reported that 11607 men examined, 4581 were found fit, approximately 40 per cent. On 28th October 1916, the first referendum was held. The question was: Are you in favour of the Government having, in this grave emergency, the same compulsory powers over citizens in regard to requiring their military service, for the term of this War, outside the Commonwealth, as it now has in regard to military service within the Commonwealth? The results were tight. 48% were in favour, while 52% were against. The exact numbers are: 1,087,557 in favour and 1,160,033 against. After the first referendum, William Hughes and all the ministers that supported conscription were expelled, and Hughes formed a breakaway party called the Nationalists, and continued to be prime minister. He then held a second referendum, which was just as heated as the first. The main anti-conscriptionist was Catholic archbishop of Melbourne, Doctor Daniel Mannix. On 20 December 1917, the question was proposed: Are you in favour of the proposal of the Commonwealth Government for reinforcing the Commonwealth Forces overseas? The results were that 1,015,159 were in favour and 1,181,747 against, or 46% for and 54% against. Influential People There are certain persons that have affected the conscription debate. Two of them are Cardinal Mannix and William Hughes. Cardinal Mannix For the American author, see Daniel P. Mannix Daniel Patrick Mannix (4 March 1864 - 2 November 1963), Irish-born Australian Catholic clergyman, Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years, was the son of a tenant farmer near Charleville, in the County Cork and was educated at Irish Christian Brothers and St. Patrick's College. He became a priest in 1890. When Australia first entered the War in 1914, Mannix was named a traitor when he called the war "just a sordid trade war", although when the conscription issue arose, he encouraged voluntary enlistment, but not conscription, as said in his 1962 interview. He spoke out against both referendums, and both referendum's had been defeated. Though Mannix's influence over the outcome has been widely debated. William Hughes William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952), was an Australian Politician and seventh Prime Minister of Australia. He is the longest serving member of the Australian Parliament, serving 51 years in federal parliament and an additional 7 in a colonial parliament. Hughes changed parties five times: from Labor to National Labor to Nationalist to Australian to United Australia to Liberal, was expelled from two, and represented four different electorates in two states. Hughes held two referendums to attempt to gain support for conscription. Conscription could already be used, as said in the 1910 Defence Act, but only for defending the country. Hughes wanted to amend the Act, so conscription could be used overseas. Hughes' main opponent was Cardinal Mannix, who opposed conscription and was able to influence many people, as he was a religious figure. When leaving the Labor Party, he took all the Parliamentary talent with him, marking the end of first era in Labor's history. See also * Australian Army * National service * Conscientious objection References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Hughes http://aso.gov.au/titles/tv/interview-archbishop-mannix/clip1/?nojs http://www.naa.gov.au/about-us/publications/fact-sheets/fs161.aspx http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/conscription/ww1.asp